[jeff]

Welcome to the “I Passed the CPA Exam” thread for CPA Candidates who are DONE and have their Life Back.

AUD - 79
BEC - 80
FAR - 76
REG - 92

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE | Another71

[raecakes79]

I CANT BELIEVE IM OFFICIALLY FINISHED!!! I've been at this for close to TWO YEARS NOW!! I just accidentally woke up in the middle of the night and I had to check it and now I'm afraid I can't fall back asleep! THANK YOU THANK YOU NINJAS you're the reason I didn't go insane during this process!!!

AUD - 81
BEC - 81
FAR - 80
REG - 73

AUD: 68, 81 (11/15)
BEC: 74, 81 (2/16)
FAR: 72, 80 (5/16)
REG: 73, TBD (1/17)

Using Becker & Ninja MCQ

AUD - Passed 11/2015
BEC - Passed 2/2016
FAR - Passed 5/2015
REG - October 2016 LAST ONE!!!

Using Becker & Ninja MCQ for review

This test will not defeat me!

[Anonymous]

It took me 7 attempts

BEC – 80.
AUD – 74
AUD -75
FAR -63
FAR -80
REG – 74
REG – 86

[LonelyRonPaul]

I'M DONE! Passed my REG re-take with a 78 and that's all folks! Congrats to everyone that passed and good luck to those still grinding!

AUD - 87
BEC - 80
FAR - 78
REG - 78

DONE!!!

FAR: 5/7/16

AUD: 7/16/16

BEC: 8/27/16

REG: 12/3/16, 2/11/17

FAR - 78, 5/7/16
AUD - 87, 7/16/16
BEC - 8/27/16
REG - 12/3/16

[HoosierCPA]

So over the year and a half that I've been studying for this exam I have always popped into this thread and envied everyone who finished. Well I finally can post and proudly say I am done with this exam forever! This goes down as my biggest personal achievement and it wasn't easy. It was brutal! It's a bit surreal that I will not be studying 25hrs/week anymore..it has become part of my lifestyle. But hey I'm not going to complain! Back to real life stress now that this is behind me. I am happy for everyone and grateful for this site. It has kept me my sanity throughout the whole process. Every doubt that creeped into my brain, every time I wanted to quit, I would log in and find out I wasn't the only one going through these struggles. Congrats to all of those who passed and for those lurkers (like I was) keep grinding away you will be able to proudly post on here one day!

AUD - 80
BEC - 82
FAR - 78
REG - 89

...

FAR - 78
REG - 72,74,71...please just go away REG nobody likes you!
BEC - 82
AUD - Aug 16

[KaliKingz]

I'm finally done! Thanks A71, this site was very helpful.

AUD - 81
BEC - 81
FAR - 86
REG - 90

Even when winning is illogical, losing still far form optional.
-T.I.

[CaribSalsera]

I'm incredibly happy to be joining this club. I took a gamble and left FAR for last. Finally passed in my very last window.

Having done this as part of my career change, and not having been an accounting major, I'm really proud.

Congratulations everyone! Time to get back to normal life. Take those review materials to the nearest recycling bin.

It took blood, sweat, tears, weight gain, and sleep deprivation.

B - 82

A - 74, 81

R - 82

F - 70, 80

CA PETH - 92%

Licensed in CA

I can't believe it's finally over...

[passthisthing]

I use to frequent this thread for motivation and thought “one day I hope to post here”. Well, that one day is today! I'm so thrilled. Probably one of the biggest challenges that I faced through internal/self struggles to getting better at time management, thinking better, and practicing my best to stay positive. The exam was so much more than just taking tests. It was hell, but many good experience cames out of it.

Let this be a testimony to anyone out there struggling like I did. No matter how bad it is, it will get better – and no, that's not just a saying. It will. Know that one way or another you are absolutely capable of getting this done. It is simply not a matter of IF but WHEN. Do not stop. Keep going. Re-group, Re-assess, Re-do.

[MMAFEM]

I'm incredibly proud and happy posting in this thread, I passed Aud today with a 91, my highest ever. I had an amazing journey, I don't even have a single accounting credit…no work experience whatsoever, infact i am a stay at home mom of 4 kids :). I did it from the scratch, and passed all the sections on my first try!!This forum had been a huge help in every way, and i am sharing my story to send a message of hope for everyone trying to pass this exam….Congratulations to everyone out there who conquered the exam today and best of luck to the rest!!!!

BEC–82
REG–79
FAR–87
Aud–91

[tmo]

Just found out I passed BEC with a 90. I am officially done! It's been an 8 month journey. Congrats to everyone who found out they are done with today.

AUD - 96
BEC - NINJA in Training
FAR - 94
REG - 89

Never stop never stopping.

[Anonymous]

First thank you to Jeff for maintaining this amazing forum and support group. Zillion thanks:-)

I started in Aug, 2015 out of my personal interest. I am not into accounting or finance. I work in EPM – Enterprise Performance Management software.

I started with lot of confidence. Passed BEC within 15 days . Then failed AUD with a score of 74 .All this happened in 1 month – August 2015. This gave me kinda of over confidence and also a false picture about CPA exams. Then the fun part started. I thought to finish FAR and then go back to AUD.

FAR was a real nightmare. I still remember that the first model test 1 in Becker took me more than 12 hours to complete. Took FAR on October and failed with a score of 63. Actually when I started FAR my confidence level started going down. That's the magic of FAR. After FAR studying I was totally stressed and confused. I thought whether I can continue doing it. In between need to travel for family reasons and out of studying for a month. Again took FAR in April – 2nd attempt and scored 80.It was a great relief. So got my little bit of confidence back.

Again in August 2016 took AUD and just passed with a score of 75. Lucky me.

Now to the last monster REG .

Started preparing for REG from October 1st week. Took the exam on Dec 8th. Failed miserably with a score of 72. My confidence level was totally shattered. I am not sure if I can pass REG now and continue with CPA. If I didn't pass by Feb 28th then I am losing my BEC credit.

Totally depressed and sad. Started putting more efforts. Used the December – 10 days vacation to study.

Took a week time off from work in Jan last week to study for REG.

Bought Gleim REG material.

So was using Becker Exam Review, Becker Final Review, Ninja Notes and Gliem( SIMS only).

Took the exam on Feb 13th. Again felt very miserably after the exam. Yesterday was not even motivated to check the scores. When I checked it was a pleasant surprise and scored 86 in REG.

Felt relived and super happy.

Again I need to thank Jeff and lot of members in this forum who always provided the needed support and motivation. Without this forum it is really difficult to be motivated and continue the CPA journey.I have interacted with lot of forums for work before. The special and unique feature of this forum is the support and motivation it provides.It is not just answers or discussion about a concept or topic.It is lot more than that. People here are obviously super professional and nice. They provide the needed support and motivation which is a necessary in this long journey. When ever I feel down then immediately I login and start checking the threads.It helps and makes me feel good. Thank you again for this great setup.

I wish all the best to you guys. I will be hanging around and keep posting.Hope I can contribute something to this incredible forum. Thank you again 🙂

Thank you again guys 🙂

[Stilgoin]

Background: B.S. Business Admin (Accounting) 3.86, MBA (focus Accounting)

Plan: Becker Fast Pass in the summer of 2015, along with a capstone class to finish my MBA. It was BRUTAL, and I was already burnt. I started school in 2010 at community college when I was 38. I have never worked so hard in my life- no degree was one of my biggest regrets, so I changed that for myself. My college experience was everything it would have been after high school, and I made the most of my time. I had never really failed anything – until ……..

Planned Schedule: Becker Fast Pass as a class and schedule exams during class
Summer ’15 – AUD May, REG July, BEC August, and FAR October

Actual Schedule:
AUD 05/19/2015 73 Aunt died week of exam (her husband had died in March over Spring Break)
REG 07/24/2015 82
BEC 08/31/2015 62 BF died week of exam
FAR 10/01/2015 59 Dad died week of exam
BEC 10/30/2015 78
AUD 11/30/2015 67
AUD 02/05/2016 79
FAR 05/25/2016 59 Husband’s BF died week of exam
FAR 07/27/2016 70
FAR 10/20/2016 74
FAR 01/18/2017 77

About the deaths- my aunt and uncle raised me as their own because they had no children and they were helping my Granny, so when my uncle died during March 2015, I was the caretaker and responsible for all the arrangements. I had gotten special permission to take 18 hours of graduate classes so I could finish on time, but I did not account for special circumstances such as death. I survived the semester with one B and the rest As, but I was mentally and physically exhausted. My aunt died in May following my uncle- they had been together over 50 years and she had no will to live. I was devastated, but being the good accountant, I stayed on schedule. I tried to compartmentalize everything, but the deaths kept coming. My best friend graduated university in May 2015, and died of breast cancer in the fall. Then my dad died in September. I basically lost all the family I was close to besides my husband in 2015. My friends all decided I needed to pass because CPA exams were killing people (it’s not funny, but I had to laugh at some point- so we laughed and I continued). I spent all year in 2016 basically trying to recover and pass FAR. I could feel myself getting back to normal around July, and I started scoring better. All I can say is DO NOT GIVE UP.

Study materials:
Becker Fast Pass– It was insane. I really do not know how good or bad it was because I had such a bad life experience that it affected my studying. I passed REG, but I own my own business and have a lot of experience in tax- that is why I originally pursued the CPA.

NINJA Materials– On REG, my 2nd exam, I found Another71.com and the NINJA MCQs. The adaptive learning in the MCQs – I cannot express in words how important that has been to me passing these exams. I still had separation anxiety leaving Becker because everyone says it is so good, but I did better after leaving it behind. I literally almost studied myself to death. I had to go to the doctor at one point because of exhaustion; the stress of failing and the deaths was horrible. I took 3 or 4 exams, and can’t tell you a single thing that was on any of them. Things really started looking up for me in May 2016 after I ditched Becker completely and went with NINJA Plus, NINJA Notes, NINJA book, and NINJA MCQs, and I used NINJA Blitz a couple times because it was free. I went from 59 to 70 in FAR, then 74, then 77. Early on, I discounted how important it was to refresh the basic materials right before an exam. When I started hitting the NINJA notes hard the week of the exam, I saw the light. I recorded the notes to a voice memo and listened to them on my 2 hour drive to Prometric the last 3 FAR exams. I was lost in the weeds with Becker, and NINJA helped me find my way. I credit my passing mainly to the NINJA MCQs, NINJA Plus vids and the NINJA notes. Bob Monette is THE BOMB. I learned things from him I went over several times and was never able to get until his lectures, which are amazing. Also, my trending and actual score in the NINJA MCQs has been the same several times. Listen to the software and adjust accordingly.

ROGER Cram: I added Roger Cram this last time, and it did help. I think I could have made it without the Cram, but I wanted a different perspective because I knew this was my last shot before losing REG. I love to listen to Roger’s lectures and his explanations are clear and concise.

I also used Gleim and CPA Excel in college.

The NINJA 10-point combo is my number one pick (follow the NINJA Framework), followed by Roger, then Gleim, Becker, and CPA Excel in that order.

Plan your schedule and stick to it, but don’t be afraid to adjust. Also make sure you are rested and clear-headed before an exam. I always took Sunday off before the exam, skimmed over sims on Monday-Tuesday, notes and review Wednesday, and exam Thursday. Sims help, but I didn’t spend a huge amount of time there. And please schedule time for other things. Do not study for 10 hours straight per day 20 days in a row or you will end up at the doctor’s office. 😉 Eat healthy and exercise.

I cannot express in words how much support this Another71.com forum and these NINJA products have been. The customer service at NINJA is beyond excellent. @jeff and his staff have coached me, encouraged me, fixed my orders when I mistakenly ordered the wrong product, re-opened my software so I could get my stats and graciously listened to me whine several times. It is insane the amount of time they have in me. Lol I am so grateful for the NINJA support. THANK YOU @jeff

And to my fellow NINJAs- thank you so much for your encouragement, support, and even the doubters and haters. It is all good experience and motivation, and I could not have finished this journey without you. My best advice- be gracious because you never know what people are going through, and don’t ever give up.

My experience has been humbling, frustrating and long, but my success feels amazing! If I can, you can too.

Stilgoin, CPA

There are enough critics. Be an encourager

B | 62, 78
A | 73, 67, 79
R | 82
F | 59, 59, Waiting

Ethics | 93

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
~Winston Churchill

“In a world full of critics, be an encourager."

[alihag]

The 5 year journey ended today. I passed all and done

Reg 81
FAR 75
Audit 83
BEC 81

I Used Gliem only and then combination of Gliem & Ninja.Taking and rewriting notes is one of the valuable methods to retain information. This was one of the benefits I gained from Ninja.
Never take CPA lightly . Make it as important as your job, and use all the media you have available. Download audio lectures in your smart phone and keep listening while driving to work and back to home. When studying, follow the order recommended by course providers

[Anonymous]

@stilgoin – a big wow..what an inspiration. Amazing. I can understand how much you have gone through. Great job. Thank you for sharing your great story.

[NeedsA75]

God, I can't wait to join this thread. Hopefully another couple weeks and I can. Congrats to all who have passed!!

AUD - 96
BEC - 86
FAR - 76
REG - 92

PETH - 92
Licensed in California

 

[wc4044]

They say “get em” I say “got em”
Can't believe this journey is finally over. That exam was terrible…Took AUD last and left NOTHING on the table.
Now to finish this Master's Degree and start my career with Deloitte this Summer!

AUD - 99
BEC - 93
FAR - 88
REG - 89

Don't give up, don't ever give up

[Author]

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